The Beautiful Voice (and man) From Next Door
by messenger394
Summary: The walls in Finn's apartment building are thin and he always hears a beautiful voice coming from the neighboring apartment. Modern day AU. Stormpilot


Finn turns the key in the lock and opens the door to his brand new apartment. His brand new apartment that is completely empty that is. Plus to make things even better he doesn't even have any furniture to go in it yet. Literally nothing other than a suitcase full of his clothes.

This is Finn's first apartment that was solely his. Before, he had lived with his best friend Rey in her tiny little two bedroom apartment that she let him stay in until he got back up on his feet. Shortly after he had turned 18 both of his parents had died in a terrible crash that left him not only homeless but with only enough money to live on for a few months.

Thank god Rey had taken care of him. He doesn't know what he would have done without her.

Now, it's a different story. He has a good job working as the secretary for a powerful and well known "businessman" named Han Solo, and there's the apartment that he can finally call his own.

The number one thing on his to-do list right now is call Rey and let her know he actually got the place, and then number two drag her with him to go find furniture.

He pulls out his cellphone and dials the all too familiar number.

"Hey." Rey says.

"I found an apartment." He exclaims not able to hide his excitement.

"That's great! Can I come see it?"

"I guess you can... after you help me pick out furniture."

Rey groans. "Fine, I'll help."

With a grin Finn says "Meet me at Ikea in fifteen." before hanging up and running downstairs to jump in his car.

* * *

It wasn't until eleven o'clock that night that Finn finally got some time to himself. The apartment is now at least partially furnished, missing only a couch which would have to be delivered, and a bed frame that still needed to be put together. Of course things still needed to be sorted and placed but it was starting to feel more like a home now, and Finn is happy with it.

Now all he wants to do is take a nice, warm, relaxing shower and to go to bed.

He walks into the bathroom and turns the shower on. By the time he's done stripping himself of his clothes the water is hot and he climbs right in.

He just stands there, letting the warm water wash over his tired muscles.

What was that? A sound on the other side of the wall catches his attention. He listens closely for a moment before determining there must be another shower on that side of the wall and someone must be using it.

Finn shrugs it off. No big deal. He had been warned the walls were thin. Maybe not this thin but that's okay.

He gets halfway through lathering up his body when a soulful voice reaches his ears.

Hang me, oh hang me

I'll be dead and gone

Hang me, oh hang me

I'll be dead and gone

Wouldn't mind the hanging

But the layin' in a grave so long, poor boy

I been all around this world

Whoever it belonged to had an absolutely beautiful voice. Finn couldn't help but just stand and relish in it for a moment.

Went up on a mountain

There i made my stand

Went up on a mountain

There i made my stand

Rifle on my shoulder

And a dagger in my hand, poor boy

I been all around this world

The song in and of itself was a sad one but that voice was just so full of life. Finn could feel himself falling in love with it a little bit.

So hang me, oh hang men

I'll be dead and gone

Hang me, oh hang me

I'll be dead and gone

I wouldn't mind the hanging

But the layin' in a grave, poor boy

I been all around this world

It isn't until the voice stops and the other shower turns off that Finn realizes the water has started to cool off and he still needed to wash off.

He quickly washes all of the soap suds off his body before he turns off the shower and dries himself off. After pulling on a pair of pajamas and crawling into his makeshift bed, which is just a mattress and a few blankets, he drifts off to sleep with thoughts of a stranger and the voice of an angel.

* * *

A few days later the sofa finally arrives. Finn hadn't wanted to pay the extra fee for it to be brought up to his apartment and somehow he had to figure out how to carry it up the stair case.

So of course he called Rey who came right over.

They both stood there scratching their heads for a moment. "How exactly did you expect us to have enough muscle to carry that up a staircase?" Rey asks.

"Apparently I didn't think this through?" It comes more of another question than an actual answer.

Rey grimaces. "Mmhmm." She walks to the far side of the couch. "Grab the other side, and let's get this over with."

Finn does exactly that and by some miracle they make it at least to the bottom of the stairs. After sitting it back on the ground Finn stretches out his arms. That damn couch was heavier they had thought it was going to be.

"Hey there!" A voice calls from the parking lot. "Need some help?" A man with wild, dark hair, wearing an orange pilots suit walks up. He's handsome. Very handsome.

"That would be amazing." Rey says sounding relieved. Finn's arms were ready to give out and she's even smaller than he is, so he can only imagine how she feels.

The man lifts up on Rey's side and along with his help they slowly start to ascend the stairs.

"You must be the new neighbors." The man says as they take another step.

"Neighbor." Finn corrects. "It's just me."

"Apparently I'm just the help." Rey says with a pointed look at her friend.

They finally make it to the top of the stairs. "Well regardless it's nice to meet both of you. I'm Poe, Poe Dameron."

Rey's eyes grow big, and she lets go of the couch in shock. "No way. Not Poe Dameron, the best pilot the air force has ever seen, Poe Dameron."

With the unexpected lack of her strength, Poe's side of the couch hits the ground. Finn sets his down as well. Might as well take a break, his biceps are on fire.

Poe nods. "Yep that Poe Dameron."

"Wow!" She shakes her head. "You're practically a legend."

"I don't know if I'd use the word legend but..."

"No, most definitely legend." Poe's cheeks are a light shade of red.

"Sorry, I'm Rey." They shake hands. "I study aeronautics and you're just quite well known in my field is all."

Finn decides to butt in. "And I'm Finn by the way."

"Well Finn I'd shake your hand but..." He looks down at the couch separating them.

"Oh it's fine. Thank you for the help by the way."

Poe waves it off. "It's no problem, but we're not done yet are we?"

With that, all three of them pick up the couch and maneuver it through the door way.

After they get it placed, Poe says "Well like I said it was nice meeting you, but I have to go." He walks to the door but stops before exiting. "By the way if you ever need anything I'm right next door. Can't guarantee I'll be home 'cause I tend to work strange hours but..." With that he walks through the door.

"Bye Poe!" Rey calls after him. Finn would do the same but his mouth is too busy hanging open in shock.

Now Rey turns to him. "What?" She asks, giving him a funny look.

"That... Okay remember how I told you I heard someone singing in the shower?" She nods. "I'm like 99% sure it was him."

"Wait really?"

Finn nods.

Rey looks impressed. "So the guy is a world class pilot, has the voice of an angel, AND he looks like that?" She just nods. "If I liked dick I'd hop on that one real quick."

* * *

It had been a few weeks since moving into the apartment and so far everything had run smoothly. Finn had gotten his bed put together despite the vaguely confusing instructions, and so far he hadn't managed to embarrass himself in front of his hot neighbor despite running into him a few times.

One of which involved Poe wearing a white tank top covered in airplane oil that made his arms look amazing. Yeah, it was a miracle Finn had made it through that one without doing something stupid.

Now, though, he has a problem even worse than embarrassing himself or having to sleep on the ground. It's the middle of the winter and his heater isn't working.

So far this winter had been brutal and tonight was no different. He had spent the last half an hour shivering under three blankets and he had just about had enough of it. Normally he's just go spend the night at Rey's place and talk to his landlord in the morning but Rey had gone out of town to visit her uncle, Luke Skywalker. Skywalker? What the hell kind of name is that anyway?

Maybe it's not just Finn suffering in the cold. He wonders if maybe he should go check on Poe. Just to make sure he hadn't frozen into a poecicle in the last half an hour.

Finn decides to check the bathroom and see if he can hear anything in the other apartment before wasting his time walking over there.

Much to his chagrin Poe was currently taking a shower. However, he wasn't singing a serious song this time.

Your stare was holding

Ripped jeans

Skin was showing

Hot night

Wind was blowing

Where you think you're going baby?

Of course he would be singing Call Me Maybe. Of fucking course.

Hey I just met you

And this is crazy

But here's my number

So call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you baby

But here's my number

So call me maybe

The song sounded absolutely ridiculous with Poe's manly voice behind it, yet at the same time his voice sounded amazing just like usual.

Luckily the shower turned off before Finn thought too hard on Poe, naked, and singing.

He tries to wait a courteous few minutes before walking to the other apartment and knocking on the door. How long exactly are you supposed to wait for your gorgeous neighbor to get dressed before it isn't rude to go knocking on his door? Someone should write a manual for these things.

It takes a moment after he knocks for Poe to come to the door. His hair is wet and he's wearing flannel pajama pants and a grey t shirt. God he even makes that look sexy.

"Oh hey Finn." A smile lights up his face, and despite being as cold as he is Finn smiles too.

Finn's teeth are chattering. "I-I-I was j-just wondering i-i-if your heat was working?"

"Oh gosh. Yeah mine is working just fine, but I take it yours isn't." He bites his lip and looks back into his apartment. "Why don't you come in and warm up." He steps out of the way and swings the door.

Finn happily obliges, getting instant relief from the freezing night air.

"I can make some hot chocolate if that would help?" Poe offers and Finn just nods.

Poe leads him into a small kitchen nearly identical to his own. Finn takes a seat at the breakfast bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.

"This is one hell of a night for the heat to go out." Poe says, putting milk on to heat for cocoa.

"Really though." Finn replies. His teeth have stopped chattering, but he's still freezing. Why didn't he grab a jacket?

"You have got to be cold... Actually, hang on." Poe ducks into a room Finn presumes to be his bedroom. He comes out holding a heavy brown and red leather jacket. "Put this on, it should help."

"No I couldn't..." Why is Poe so nice? Honestly, it should be a crime.

Poe shakes his head. "No really, it's no big deal. I don't mind."

Finn gives in and reaches out to take the jacket. He slips it over his shoulder and it really does help.

Poe takes the milk off the stove and pours it into two mugs. He pulls out the hot chocolate packets and pours them in before handing a mug to Finn. He takes the stoop opposite Finn and starts to blow on the hot beverage.

"So..." He starts. "I'm just curious but is Rey your girlfriend?"

Finn busts out laughing, causing the pilots eyebrows to shoot up his forehead. "No, definitely not. Rey isn't exactly into guys, and unfortunately my love life is lacking in girls AND guys at the moment."

Poe nods approvingly. "Oh okay, then."

"Well what about you?" Finn asks.

"Nope, no guys in my life either." So he is gay, maybe Finn actually has a chance. No, he shouldn't get his hopes up. That never ends well. "When you work as much as I do it can be hard to meet people."

"You're a pilot right?"

"Nope, I'm a former pilot. Now I just teach the next generation of pilots." Poe corrects. "After the incident that gave me this" he lifts up his shirt to reveal a long scar running down his side. "I decided maybe it was time to get out of the military and settle down. Obviously that didn't work because I couldn't stay out of the pilots seat but" He shrugs. "it's worth it."

Finn wants to ask exactly what gave him that scar but he refrains. "But didn't that give you better hours?" He asks instead.

"Sort of. It meant I had more time to myself but, sometimes the training needs to be done at night or it involves long trips. It just doesn't leave much room for a private life. You're actually lucky I was home right now. Otherwise you'd still be freezing your balls off over there."

Finn feels his face look hot and he suddenly couldn't look the pilot in the face. "Actually I uh... knew you were home."

"How?" Poe asks, looking thoroughly confused.

'Oh god, he's going to think I'm such a creep.' Finn thinks to himself before muttering. "I h...d you in ... sh...r."

"What was that?"

Finn sighs. "I heard you singing in the shower." At this Poe's cheeks turn a bright shade of pink.

"Oh uh sorry." He rubs the back of neck, embarrassed. "It's been a while since I've had a neighbor over there. I guess I forgot how thin the walls are."

"No, no it's okay. You have a really amazing voice." Now Finn's face is hot too.

"Thanks." Poe replies, finishing off his hot chocolate. He looks at the clock on the wall. "I really should be heading to bed. You should stay here tonight though."

"Oh no!" Finn exclaims. "I've already intruded enough."

"Well I can't have my favorite neighbor freezing to death now can I?" Favorite neighbor? Finn can't tell if he's serious or not.

"I don't know..."

Poe sighs. "Please just take the couch." When Finn doesn't reply, he adds "For me?"

Now how is Finn supposed to say no to that? "Okay, I guess I'll stay here tonight."

Poe grins. "Just let me grab you some blankets." He comes out of his room with his arms full of them and deposits them on the coach.

Finn grabs two of the thicker ones before sitting down.

"Goodnight Finn."

"Goodnight Poe."

With that, Poe retreats into his own room, and Finn lies down on the couch and closes his eyes.

The next morning Finn wakes up to an empty apartment but there's a note waiting on the table by his head.

It reads:

Finn,

Sorry I had to leave before you got up but duty calls. Feel free to let yourself out whenever you get ready, the key is on the table by the door, just leave it under the mat.

-Poe

P.S. You should keep the jacket. It suits you.

* * *

The next time Finn hears Poe singing in the shower it's a Friday night and once again he's in the shower as well. Of course this time it would be Queen that Poe starts belting out.

I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies

Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity

I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva

I'm gonna go go go

There's no stopping me

Finn just grins and shakes his head at his friends antics.

I'm burning through the sky yeah!

Two hundred degrees

That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit

I'm trav'ling at the speed of light

I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

At the end of the verse Finn decides to start adding in the backing vocals. He sings completely out of tune while running soap over his body. This just seems to encourage Poe more.

Don't stop me now

I'm having such a good time

I'm having a ball

Don't stop me now

If you wanna have a good time

Just give me a call

Both of their voices just seem to increase in volume as the song goes on. As soon as the last note is finished they both bust out into uncontrollable laughter that can be heard on both ends.

"Hey Finn!" Poe yells through the wall.

"Yeah?" He yells back.

"You busy?"

"Nope!" Finn turns off the shower.

He hears Poe do the same. "You should come over, watch a movie with me!"

"Sounds good! I'll be over in a few!"

And that's how ten minutes later, Finn is standing at Poe's door in a pair of sweats, with a fully cooked bag of popcorn in his hand.

Poe opens the door and grins. "That was quite the performance."

"If we don't win at the next Grammy's I'll be highly disappointed." Finn jokes as he enters the apartment.

"You brought popcorn." Poe exclaims, snatching the bag right out of Finn's hand.

"I brought popcorn."

"I think I'm in love." Poe says dreamily, cradling the popcorn to his chest.

Finn chuckles. "With me or the popcorn?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." Poe pretends to wipe away a fake tear before flopping back on the two-seater couch. He pats the other cushion, motioning for Finn to join him before ripping the bag open and throwing his arm on the back of the couch.

Finn sits and casually kicks off his shoes. "So, what are we watching?" he asks.

"Hmm," Poe thinks. "Did you see the new Pitch Perfect?"

"Mmhmm."

"What about the new Avengers?"

Finn shakes his head and Poe gasps dramatically. "We have to watch it there's no question about it."

"Okay, I've really been wanting to see it anyway." Finn adds even though he's not being given a choice.

Poe flips through the movies title on the screen until he finds the right one and presses play.

Right then a fluffy orange and white cat jumps into Finn's lap and starts sniffing his hand. "Who's this cute little guy?" Finn asks, rubbing it's head.

"Oh, that's just BB-8, my loyal companion."

They sit comfortably through the first half hour of the movie before somehow Poe's arm has snaked it's way onto Finn's shoulders and Finn's head found it's way to Poe's.

It isn't long after that, that Finn's eyes close and he drifts off to sleep. Once Poe notices he makes an effort not to move and startle the younger man.

He looks down on with a small smile. It's a good thing that couch is comfy because he's not going anywhere any time soon.

* * *

It's a cold, stormy night when there's a frantic knock on Finn's front door. He gets off his couch and unlocks it to find Poe on the other side, an unusually panicky look on his face.

"Poe... What's wrong?" He asks, immediately worried.

"BB-8 is missing." Poe replies. "Have you seen him?"

Finn shakes his head. "Sorry, I haven't. Are you sure he's not just hiding out in your apartment somewhere?"

Poe shakes his head sadly. "I looked everywhere. He's terrified of thunder storms and I think he ran out when I got home a while ago."

Without hesitation, Finn grabs the jacket Poe gave him off it's usual hook by the door. He shrugs it on and Poe asks "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you look. There's no way you can search this whole apartment complex on your own and besides now I'm worried about the little guy too."

Poe bites his lip. "Thanks Finn."

"Thank me when you find him." Finn says, laying a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder.

With a sigh Poe rubs at his eyes before saying "I already checked all of this floor and I didn't see him anywhere."

"Okay, you check the bottom floor and I'll check outside." Finn says, pulling the door shut behind him.

They go down together and separate at the bottom of the staircase.

When Finn walks out the door it's pouring rain and he can't see all that well but he still calls out "BB-8! Where are you BB-8?" He checks under every car there and even adds in a "Here kitty kitty!" every now then, trying everything in his power to find the cat.

Just before giving up hope he sees something run across the parking lot and hide behind some trash cans.

"BB-8?" He calls before jogging over. Lo and behold there the orange and white cat is, cowering behind the biggest can.

Finn sighs with relief. "I hope you know we've been looking everywhere for you." He scolds. "You've had poor Poe so worried."

Finn takes off his jacket and scoops the soaking cat up in it to further protect him from the elements. He holds BB-8 close to his chest and runs for the building.

Once he makes it back to Poe's apartment he can hear Poe calling once again for the cat inside. Finn knocks, holding on to the now squirming bundle in his arms with just one hand.

Luckily Poe comes quickly and Finn is able to release BB-8 into his masters waiting arms. He crawls up to Poe's shoulder almost as if they were hugging. Now that image really pulled at Finn's heart strings.

Poe walks back into the apartment and deposits the drenched cat on his waiting cat bed before turning back to Finn.

"Thank you so much." He pulls the taller man in for a hug, wrapping his strong arms around Finn's waist. "Thank you." He says again into his shoulder.

"Really Poe, it's no problem. Anything for you."

They pull back and Finn can see Poe looking at his lips. But before anything can happen a soft mew comes from the cat bed and Poe composes himself.

"I should probably dry him off. Thanks again." A huge smile is on his face as he looks at the little furball and it makes Finn's stomach twist in knots.

"See you later then Poe." With that he exits the apartment to give the man and his cat some time to catch up.

* * *

Finn nervously knocks on Poe's door. He cannot believe he's doing this.

It takes a few seconds before Poe opens itand smiles. He's wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and of course his muscled torso is gorgeous. Great now Finn's even more nervous than he was to begin with.

"Hey, Finn." Poe grins and leans against the door.

"Uh hey Poe." He can already feel his face getting hot.

Poe raises an eyebrow. "Do you need something?"

"Uh yeah.. I uh I wanted to ask you something actually." Finn internally groans. He could not possibly be any more awkward.

The side of Poe's mouth lifts in a small smirk. "Okay."

"I was um.. wondering if uh..." Finn takes a deep breath. "My boss is having a dance, fundraiser thing and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. As my date." It all comes out in a rush and he adds the last part almost as an afterthought.

Poe just stands there grinning for a moment which of course makes Finn nervous. "It's okay if you don't. I mean I can always just make Rey come with me." Now he's just babbling. "I mean maybe I was reading into things too much or..."

Poe puts a hand up. "Finn, hold on." He shuts up. "I'd love to go with you. When is it?"

Finn's mouth falls open. "What? Wait really?" His heart is soaring.

Poe nods, still with that ridiculously charming smile on his face. "Really."

"It's tomorrow at 7:00."

"Okay, I have training tomorrow but I should be able to meet you there. What should I wear?" Poe asks.

"It's a formal evening." Finn is trying not to die of excitement.

"Okay sounds great." They stand there grinning at each other like the idiots they are.

"See you then?" Finn aks.

"See you then."

Finn walks back over to his apartment and immediately breaks into a victory dance.

Rey shakes her head from the couch with a smile.

* * *

It's 7:30 and Poe is late. He hasn't texted or called and Finn isn't sure whether he should be worried or just disappointed. Poe doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would stand someone up so Finn has tended to lean more towards the worried side. Still, this doesn't get rid of the nagging thought in the back of his mind that he's being played.

Han Solo walks over with his bodyguard Chewie following closely. "Is that pilot of yours here yet?" He asks.

"No." Finn answers sadly, looking at the door like he's already done a thousand times that night.

The side of Solo's mouth goes down into a frown. He lays a hand on Finn's shoulder. "I'm sorry kid."

Finn just shrugs but before he can reply he feels a warm hand on his back. "I'm so sorry I'm late."

He looks over to see Poe standing there, looking as handsome as ever, in a suave black suit. His usually unruly hair has been tames and for once and he looks... amazing.

Poe leans over and kisses his cheek. "There was an incident. One of the trainees almost crashed, and messed up the plane." He sighs and shakes his head.

Finn smiles. "It's fine." He's honestly just glad he's finally here, and completely giddy that Poe actually wanted to come.

"You must be the infamous Poe I keep hearing about. He hasn't shut up about you for weeks." Han holds his hand for a handshake.

Poe takes it with a chuckle. "And you must be Han Solo."

"That's my name, don't wear it out. Now if you'll excuse me, I see a very wealthy looking lady who I could probably get money out of." And like that both Han and Chewie are gone.

Poe turns to face Finn and grabs his hand with a worried look on his face. "I really am sorry." There's genuine concern on his face about Finn's reaction.

"Really, it's fine. I'm just glad you're here now." Poe visibly relaxes but doesn't release his grip on Finn's hand.

"Did I miss anything exciting?" Poe asks.

Finn shakes his head. "Nope, Han has had me trying to con money off these people and it's just not working."

Poe laughs. "How could anyone say no to a handsome face like that?"

Poe chokes on air. "You think I'm handsome?"

"Oh buddy, I thought it was obvious." Poe replies. Finn still can't believe it. "C'mon let's dance." All Of Me by John Legend had just come on.

Dancing had never been Finn's strong suit but he agrees to it anyway. Somehow Poe already knows this and says "Just follow my lead." Finn does just that. After a couple of dances he finally gets the hang of it and doesn't look like he has two left feet. Poe just seemed to find this endearing.

They dance for most of the night, only getting interrupted by Han Solo a couple of times. Each time Han had wanted Finn to write down information for money he somehow managed to get out of some poor soul.

During one of these moments Poe had disappeared only to return with a middle aged woman on his arm. "Mr. Solo, I think this lovely lady would like to donate to you cause."

With a wink at Finn he passes her off the older man who stops to whisper in Finn's ear. "I like this one. Careful or I might just fire you and hire him."

As they walk away Poe steps into Finn's arms. "Want to get out of here?" He asks.

Finn just nods.

Half an hour later they're standing outside the door to Finn's apartment.

"Tonight was fun." Poe says, holding onto Finn's hand.

"We should go out again." Finn replies.

Poe reaches up to cup Finn's cheek. Finn has his hands on Poe's waist. They're extremely close. All Finn can think about is Poe's lips not even a few inches from his.

"I agree." Poe whispers before he closes the gap and presses his lips to Finn's.

Finn sighs contentedly and moves one of his hands up to cup the back of Poe's head.

They kiss until they're both out of breath, but Poe is the first to pull away. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He says breathless.

Also breathless Finn replies "Tomorrow." With a smile.

Poe walks away, grinning like a fool.

* * *

The next time Finn hears Poe singing in the shower he doesn't have to listen through the wall. He's standing right behind him, water running down back, singing right along with him.


End file.
